Stream or current motor.



Patehted not. 22, 190i. F. A. TOWSLEY.

STREAM on CURRENT moms.

. 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1899.)

(No Model.)

No. 685,0l6. Patented Oct. 22, IQOI.

/ F. A. TOWSLEY.

STREAM 0R CURRENT MOTOR.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1899.)

2 Sheefs-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

U ITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

FRANK A. TOWSLEY, F MIDLAND, MICHIGAN.

STREAM OR CURRENT MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 68 5,016, dated October22, 1901.

Application filed April 12, 1899.

To all whom it may concern Be it'known that I, FRANK A. TOWSLEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Midland, in thecouh'ty ofMidland and State of Michigan, have invented certain new andusefullmprovements in Stream or,Current Motors; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. 1

My invention relates to water-motors, and more particularly to thatclass of water-motors known as stream or current motors; and theimprovement consists in certain constructions and arrangements-of theparts of a stream-motor, as hereinafter set forth and for the purposeswhich will be explained in detail in this specification.

My invention is illustrated in. the accompanying drawings, throughoutthe several views of which similar characters of referones are used todesignate similar parts and devices. I 2 I In the drawings, Figure l isaplan view of the working parts of my invention, the upper beams of theframe being omitted. Fig. 2

is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation takenon the line w as of o Fig. 1.' Fig. 4: is a detail in elevation of thevane and its attachments. Fig. 5 is a plan of the parts shown-in Fig.4:.

As is plainly shown in the drawings, the

improvement consists in providing across a 3 5 part or the entire widthof the stream a row of vertical guidevanes 1 on the upstream side of themotor. These vanes are preferably fixed at their upper and lower ends tothe upper and lower beams of the frame by mortising the ends of thevanes into the beams or by bolts or other suitable means and are set ata small angle with the direction of the ourrent, being suitably curvedto properly deflect the current against the moving or motor vanes 5 2.The motor-vanes 2 are suitably curved to receivethe water as it leavesthe guide-vanes and are attached vertically at regular intervals along aflexible moving band 3, that is carried by the four pairs of revolvingwheels Serial 1%. 712,786, (No model.)

the upper and lower sets of sprocketwhcels, as is shown in Fig. 2, themotor-vanes being attached to the chains at the top and bottom.

On the downstream side of the motor and within the rectangle describedby the conveyer-chains is a second row of guide vanes 5, similar to therow 1 on the upstream side, but having an opposite inclination, as isshown in Fig. 1, and arranged to discharge against-the vanes on thedownstream side of the motor.

In order to cause the motor-vanes to present their working orwater-deflecting faces to the current on both sides, upstream anddownstream, of the motor, it is essential that the vane be turnedrelatively to the band or chain 3 as the vane commences to cross thedownstream side and also when it commences to cross the upstream side.This I accomplish by the means shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The upper andlower sprockets 4: are mounted on a vertical shaft 4, which is supportedby suitable bearings 4:, mounted on the framework of the motor. Theconveyor-chains 3,

to which the vanes 2 are attached, impart motion to the sprocket-shaft,from which the power may be taken.

The vanes 2 are secured to the conveyorchains by bolts passing throughhingebearings formed in the chain-links, as shown in Fig. 4. Rollers orwheels 2 are pivotally mounted upon the rear edges of the vanes and runin channel-shaped guides 6, extending parallel with the conveyor chains3. These rollers 2 take the'thrust due to the pressure of the water uponthe vanes and preserve their alinement with the chains 3. Thechannel-guides 6 may be supported by straps or brackets fastened to asuitable series of braces secured to the frame. These braces andbrackets are omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness and forthe reason angle to the direction of the chain, as is shown in Fig. 5. 1

To permit the vane to change from one position which is suited to itsproper action on the upstream side of the motor to the position suitedto its action on the downstream side, I extend the channels 8, in whichthe guide-roller runs, from wheel to wheel only, 10h bending them aroundthe corners. This arrangement leaves the guide-roller 7 free of thechannel 8 while the vane is passing around the sprocket-wheel. To guidethe roller 7 into the next section of the channel 8, I provide curvedwings or guides 8 at each wheel.

The roller by coming into contact with the guide 8 is directed into thenext channelguide. The curved guides 8 are preferably made by removingthe web and one flange from the end of the channel 8 and curving theremaining flange to form the guide 8.

Near one of the wheels 4 and mounted on the frame of the motor is astop-pin or other suitable projection 9, against which the tips of thevanes impinge, and being retarded while the vane moves forward the vaneis turned so as to direct the guide-roller 7 into the next channel-guide8. At wheel 4, which is diagonally opposite the wheel 4 the guide 8 isof somewhat dilferent shape from the corresponding guides at the otherwheels. It will be noticed on referring to Fig. 1 that the guide 8 atwheel 4 is not bent concentric with the axis of the wheel, the middlepart of the curve being nearer the center of the wheel than the endpart. It is obvious that the pivotal center of the vanes must travelaround the wheel 4 in the are of a circle, whereas the guide-rollers 7upon issuing from the side channel 8 engage the guide 8" near itsextremity and are retarded by the flattened curve forming the middlepart of the guide 8. The difference in curvature between the circle ofthe sprocket-wheel and that of the guide 8 serves to retard theguide-roller 7, while the vane continues to move at uniform speed.

. The ellect upon the vane is to turn it from ferred to the wheel.

its downstream position first radially with thewheel and then intoposition for crossing the stream. \Vhen the vane is in this position,the guide-roller leaves the guide 8 and enters the channel-guide 8.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Vater entering the verticalguides 1, which are immersed in the stream, is deflected slightly fromits course and is deflected against the curved vane 2, attached to theconveyer-chain. By this means the vanes are set in motion and passsuccessively across the bed of the stream, carrying with them thesprocket'chain, to which they are attached and by which the power istrans- The reaction or ineffectual thrust of the water being transmittedto the guides d by the rollers 2, the vane is held at the proper anglerelatively to the stream by the guideroller 7 running in its guide 8.hen a vane reaches a pair of sprockets, as at 4:, the guide-roller 7leaves the groove 8, and during its passage around the sprocket the vaneassumes a substantially radial position. As it moves downstream the vaneis held practically normal to-the direction of the current by theguide-roller 7, which now runs in the guiding-channel 8 (shown at theright hand of Fig. 1) and is so placed relatively to the vane as to holdthe arm 7 in a position normal to the channel 8. When the vane reachesthe sprocket 4 and is released from the right-hand channel guide, thetip of the vane is tripped by the projecting pin 9 and is thus turned soas to engage the guide-roller 7 in the downstream guide, thus holdingthe vanes at a constant angle to the current as they pass back acrossthe stream. The stationary vanes 5 receive the water that has passedthrough the up stream side of the motor and deflects it at an oppositeinclination into the downstream row of moving vanes. Upon reaching thesprocket 4 the roller 7 is deflected into the left-hand guide 8', whichis so placed relatively to the vane as to hold the latter turned backupon the chain while moving against the stream, as is shown in Fig. 1.

WVhile I have shown and described my invention as employing four sets ofconveyorsprockets, two sets of wheels of large diame ter placed one oneach side of the stream might be employed without departing'from thespirit of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a submerged current-motor the combination of a series of vanesvertically arranged on horizontally movable endless chains and Yextending outwardly therefrom, of pairs of sprocket-wheels rotatable inahorizontal plane for carrying the endless chains,- said wheelsbeinglocated on opposite sides of the stream; of series of Verticalguiding-vanes arranged in rows that extend transversely to the directionof the stream, said vanes being adapted to deflect the current through asmall angle and deliver it against the moving vanes; of thrust-rollerscarried by the moving vanes, and thrustresisting guides for said rollersarranged parallel to the direction of motion of the vanes; of guidesrollers attached to the moving vanes, and horizontal guides fordirecting the guide rollers; said guide rollers and horizontal guidesbeing arranged to retain the moving vanes at a suitable angle to thedirection of flow while crossing the current, substantially as setforth. I

2. In a submerged current-motor the combination of a series of vanesvertically arranged on horizontally movable endless chains and extendingoutwardly therefrom; of pairs of sprocket-wheels rotatable in ahorizontal plane for carrying the endless chains, said wheels beinglocated on opposite sides of the stream; of series of verticalguiding-vanes arranged in rows that extend transversely to

